University's economic punch is impressive

Question: What single institution pumped $268 million into the metropolitan Asheville economy last year?

Answer: UNC Asheville, the designated undergraduate liberal arts university in the 16-campus University of North Carolina system.

It has long been known that UNC Asheville is important academically. It consistently is rated as one of the best bargains in the U.S. for liberal arts education. Last December, Chancellor Anne Ponder was named as a fellow by the National Collegiate Honors Council.

Now, a survey commissioned by the university and carried out by economist Tom Tveidt shows its importance economically. The university supports some 2,600 jobs, including roughly 800 on-campus. Every dollar in state appropriations generates $2.96 in local income and $7.62 in economic output in the Asheville area, the report says.

"I've long known that UNC Asheville is an economic engine for the region," said Tveidt, who for 10 years led the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce's economic development research operations. "And now, as the creative sector in Asheville has grown more important, the university's economic value to the area has also grown."

The presence of a university benefits a city in many ways. The people served are not all brash teenagers living away from home for the first time. A host of community programs draw in people of all ages, from Saturday and summer programs for youths to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute for elders.

The Osher Institute alone, with weekend seminars that draw people from all over the country, results in some 100 households moving to the Asheville area each year, the study says. That is aside from the way it enriches the lives of the local people who attend.

Another benefit is the $85 million in extra earnings of UNC Asheville living in the area due to their degrees. This added spending supports 588 local jobs, the report says.

These are tough times for higher education. Colleges are being squeezed in two directions. First, there is the financial squeeze caused by continued budget cuts in the wake of the Great Recession. That trend may end this year, but don't bet on it when the General Assembly seems determined to undermine the state's financial base with tax cuts designed to throw more of the burden on those least able to pay.

Then there is the philosophical attack from those who do not understand the difference between vocational training and education, who think any college major that does not lead directly to a job in that field should be jettisoned. Unfortunately, one of those people is Gov. Pat McCrory. "If you want to take gender studies, that's fine, go to a private school and take it. But I don't want to subsidize that if that's not going to get someone a job," he said in January. He says he wants higher education funded "not based on how many butts in seats but how many of those butts can get jobs."

There's nothing wrong with vocational education. It is a vital component of our system, especially at the community college level. But it is no substitute for turning out educated men and women who will be tomorrow's leaders and innovators, people who not only can hold today's jobs but can adapt to tomorrow's jobs.

The numbers in Tveidt's study remind us that liberal arts education does produce jobs, in the local case more than three jobs off-campus for every one on-campus. It also produces people who will help Asheville maintain its reputation as a center for innovation. And it provides cultural benefits for the community, ranging from seminars to theater productions to sports.

We hope leaders in Raleigh are listening.

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University's economic punch is impressive

Question: What single institution pumped $268 million into the metropolitan Asheville economy last year?